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Sailing Alternatives

Okay, so boats aren't for everyone. For that matter, water's not for everyone. The sky is the limit in terms of ways to make an escape other than in a boat, but here are some to consider.

Buy an RV and drive around the country for a year

We have had some wonderful experiences in small towns of which we had never heard. You wouldn't believe how friendly they are in places where the cars are dirty and the produce locally grown. Cost per day is about $50, decent RVs can be had for under $20,000 and resold at the end for modest losses (or gains, depending on where you buy and where you sell).

Rent a trailer in a completely different environment

Try living a different lifestyle. You can rent a trailer in Florida or rural Montana for less than $500 a month. Sure, it's low-brow, but it's also different and you might meet some truly authentic people – those that don't define their identities by the brands they choose.

In Grenada, you can rent a furnished two bed/two bath apartment for $500 a month. Yes, the accent takes some getting used to, but you'll probably have a papaya tree in your driveway and the exotic whistling frogs will keep you awake for the first couple of nights. You can also buy tuna right off the boat for $3.00 a pound.

Micro-farm for a while

You can rent arable land for about $500 an acre per year and buy a small used tractor for a few thousand. Get a few acres and try your hand while you are living in the trailer. You may find that caring more about the weather than you do about the Dow Jones lowers your blood pressure considerably. If you're lucky, you may break even, but that's not the point. Sell the tractor when you are done, or take it back to your manicured neighborhood and use it as a lawn ornament but, beware, you may need a permit from the zoning department. Tractors are controversial you know.

Stay local, but refocus

If travel just isn't your thing, you may consider going great guns in the gardening department, breeding your favorite pets or just plowing through that reading list that you don't have a prayer of finishing at your current pace. But do it without clocks or a cell phone. Wow, that's scary I know, but you'll eat less, sleep more and feel younger than you have in years.